1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to tissue biopsies, and more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to shave biopsy devices configured to indicate a slicing depth (e.g., in real-time during a biopsy).
2. Description of Related Art
Shave biopsy is one technique that can be used obtain a tissue sample (e.g., to determine if a skin lesion is benign or is potentially harmful to a patient). During a shave biopsy, at least a portion of a skin lesion is typically removed (e.g., is shaved off), such that the removed portion can be tested for cancer and/or the like. Shave biopsies are generally quick, cost-effective, and relatively straightforward.
When performing a shave biopsy, depth (e.g., slicing depth) can be critical. For example, if a biopsy is too deep, the risk for bleeding, infections, damage to underlying structures, scarring, slow healing, and/or the like can be increased. On the other hand, if a biopsy is too shallow, adequate staging of the biopsied lesion (e.g., if malignant) and/or future treatment can be complicated.
To illustrate, if a melanoma is deeper than 1 millimeter (mm), a sentinel lymph node biopsy may be desirable (e.g., using a wide local excision with a relatively large margin); however, if a melanoma is shallower than 1 mm, a lymph node biopsy may not be necessary. Thus, it may be desirable that shave biopsies be taken at least 1 mm deep because, for example, if a shave biopsy is too shallow and the lesion is transected, it may not be possible to determine if a large excision or lymph node biopsy is necessary (e.g., because it may not be possible to accurately determine the depth of the lesion).
Examples of cutting and/or biopsy devices are disclosed in U.S. Patents (1) U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,198; and (2) U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,892.